The opportunity to shape the direction of a new political party was what led Mr Fahmi Rais to join the team that founded Singaporeans First (SingFirst) last year.
Now, Fahmi Rais, 48, will take a step further and stand in elections for the first time in the coming polls.
“Because this is a new party, it has no baggage, it doesn’t have the history of who was there first, what was done in the past, so on and so forth. With a party with no baggage, every candidate, every member has an equal opportunity to shape the party the way they want it, and to me that is very critical because we do not want to come into a system and not see our ideas being taken,” the father of four said.
Mr Fahmi is no political newbie, having been a member of the Young PAP in the early 1990s.
After leaving the party in 1995, he was involved in various community organisations, an experience that later spurred him to enter the political arena.
The Government, he felt was disconnected from the needs of the people, and he hopes to change this.
As the sole Malay candidate introduced by SingFirst yesterday, the father of four said he wants to champion for the Malay-Muslim community and ensure that they can compete on the same level as other communities in Singapore.
Fahmi Rais, 48
Communication and media consultant
FACT FILE:
• Married with four children ages six to 19
• A founding member of Singaporeans First; currently sits in the party’s Central Executive Committee
• Has 26 years of involvement in community work
• A Young PAP member from 1991 to 1995
• Holds a Masters in Mass Communication and a degree in Law with Honours
HE SAID: “It is those years that I spent on the ground that created the turning point. I had no bad experience when I was with the PAP but having listened to the people and realising how disconnect the current Government of the day is with the people on the ground, it’s a natural calling for me to try to create that difference by joining an opposition front.”
WARD: To be announced
Source: www.todayonline.com
